Genomics

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New Study Uncovers Direct Link Between Learning and Memory Impairment and Specific Gene

A gene previously associated with intellectual disability has been discovered to play a role in regulating learning and memory in mice.

9 May 2024

Rice University Develops AI-Powered Tools for Unraveling Microbial Genomes

Since the first microbial genome was sequenced in 1995, scientists have reconstructed the genomic makeup of hundreds of thousands of microorganisms and have even devised methods to take a census of bacterial communities on the skin, in the gut, or in soil, water and elsewhere based on bulk samples, leading to the emergence of a relatively new field of study known as metagenomics.

8 May 2024

New Insights Into PARP1 Biology Could Open Avenues to Improve Cancer Treatments

A new study led by University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center researchers shows that an enzyme called PARP1 is involved in repair of telomeres, the lengths of DNA that protect the tips of chromosomes, and that impairing this process can lead to telomere shortening and genomic instability that can cause cancer.

8 May 2024

Epigenomic Analysis Reveals Potential Treatment Avenues for ALS

For most patients, it's unknown exactly what causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease characterized by degeneration of motor neurons that impairs muscle control and eventually leads to death.

3 May 2024

New Study Sheds Light on Genetic Adaptations of Papua New Guinean Populations

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has a wide range of environments, each presenting unique challenges to human survival. Highlanders and lowlanders of PNG are striking examples of populations facing distinct environmental stress.

2 May 2024

Understanding How Genetic Drivers Influence the Evolution of Photosynthesis Mechanism in Tillandsia

Researchers at the University of Vienna, along with collaborators from France, Germany, Switzerland and the USA, have achieved a major breakthrough in understanding how genetic drivers influence the evolution of a specific photosynthesis mechanism in Tillandsia (air plants).

2 May 2024

St. Jude Scientists Reveal Role of Non-Coding DNA Variants in Childhood Leukemia

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have identified specific DNA variants in the non-coding regions of the genome contributing to chemotherapy resistance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

2 May 2024

New Method Sheds Light on How Protein Modifications Power T Cells

Imagine riding a bike. Now imagine riding a bike with an enormous beach ball stuck on your handlebars. That "modification" might change your experience quite a bit.

30 Apr 2024

Investigating Enhancer Function in Pluripotent Stem Cells

As embryos, all complex organisms are partially made up of pluripotent stem cells, a term for cells that have the capacity to differentiate into any kind of cell: nerve cells, muscle cells, blood cells, skin cells, and the like.

30 Apr 2024

AI Models Predict Plant Gene Activity with Unprecedented Precision

Genome sequencing technology provides thousands of new plant genomes annually. In agriculture, researchers merge this genomic information with observational data (measuring various plant traits) to identify correlations between genetic variants and crop traits like seed count, resistance to fungal infections, fruit color, or flavor.

30 Apr 2024

Genetic Insights: Safflower Genome Assembly Unlocks Key Traits for Crop Improvement

A research team completes a high-quality chromosome-scale assembly of the 'Chuanhonghua 1' safflower genome.

30 Apr 2024

Research Reveals Surprising Insights Into Yeast Evolution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte Assistant Professor of Bioinformatics Abigail Leavitt LaBella has co-led an ambitious research study -; published this week in the widely influential journal Science -; that reports intriguing findings made through innovative artificial intelligence analysis about yeasts, the small fungi that are key contributors to biotechnology, food production and human health.

29 Apr 2024

New Study Discovers Gene Associated with Epilepsy and Autism

A genetic mutation or variation in the SCN2A gene is known to cause infantile seizures, autism spectrum disorder, and intellectual disability, among other moderate-to-severe impairments in movement, communication, feeding, and vision.

29 Apr 2024

UCI Researchers Receive $1.19 Million Grant to Unravel the Genetic Basis of Nicotine Addiction

A three-year, $1.19 million grant from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program will allow University of California, Irvine researchers to explore how specific sections of DNA might influence nicotine addiction.

26 Apr 2024

Genome Assemblies of Musa ornata and Musa velutina Unveil Insights Into Banana Biology

The genus Musa, encompassing approximately 70 herbaceous species, is predominantly found in the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Oceania.

26 Apr 2024

Barley Varieties Influence Soil Microbial Communities, Finds Study

Different types of barley recruit distinct communities of soil microbes to grow around their roots by releasing a custom mix of sugars and other compounds, according to a new study led by Jacob Malone of the John Innes Center, UK, publishing April 25th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology.

26 Apr 2024

Researchers Make Fundamental Discovery to Combat Fusarium Head Blight in Wheat

Fungal disease Fusarium head blight (FHB) is on the rise due to increasingly humid conditions induced by climate change during the wheat growing season, but a fundamental discovery by University of Adelaide researchers could help reduce its economic harm.

26 Apr 2024